Former Manila City Mayor Alfredo Lim passed away on Saturday afternoon, his daughter Cynthia Lim confirmed. He was 90.
"[M]y father died at 4:30 pm, August 8, Manila time," she informed CNN Philippines in a message.
This comes just a day after incumbent Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso announced that Lim had contracted the coronavirus disease.
In a video message, Moreno remembered his predecessor, noting the projects and programs he left behind in Manila, such as the Unibersidad ng Maynila and the Sta. Ana Hospital.
"Patuloy na pinakikinabangan ng mga batang Maynila ang mga programa at proyekto ng minamahal nating mayor," he said .
[Translation: The youth of Manila continue to benefit from the programs and projects of our beloved mayor.]
Moreno said the local government briefly turned off the lights of the city clock tower as a gesture of respect.
Lim was elected mayor of Manila in 1992 and was reelected in 1995. He also served as Interior Secretary from 2000 to 2001 and voted Senator in 2004.
He also became the Director of the National Bureau of Investigation in 1992. Lim was also a Superintendent of the Philippine National Police Academy and the Director of the Western Police District and retired as Major General.
In 1998, Lim also ran for president under the Liberal Party but the position went to Joseph Estrada.
Estrada paid his respects to Lim.
"Magkatunggali man kami sa pulitika, alam ko na iisa lang ang aming hangarin, ang aming hangarin, ang mabigyan ng magandang buhay ang mahihirap nating mga kababayan lalo na ang Masang Manilenyo," he said on his Facebook account.
[Translation: We may have competed against each other in politics, but I know we had the same desire - to give a good life to the poor especially the people of Manila.]
Malacañang also honored the memory of the former mayor.
"The nation, particularly the City of Manila, remembers Mayor Lim for his tough stance against criminality and drugs," said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a statement.
Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan, Lim's political party during the mayoral polls last year, also offered condolences to Lim's family.